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Saturday, November 8, 2008

Who is William Ray Cyrus?

Who is William Ray Cyrus the world knows him as Billy Ray Cyrus. Billy was born August 25, 1961 in Flatwoods, Kentucky. Billy Ray father was Ron Cyrus, a politician, and his mother, Ruth Ann Adkins. Billy Ray when he was growing up was surrounded by bluegrass and gospel music from his family. His father, a right-handed man, played guitar. Billy Ray on the other hand was left. He tried to play his father's guitar, but could never learn. His grandfather was a Pentecostal Preacher; Billy Ray intended on becoming another Johnny Bench as he grew up in Flatwoods. He received a baseball scholarship from Georgetown College on. When he bought a guitar and started practicing, he decided immediately that athletics wasn't the proper direction for his life. So he formed a band and called it the Sly Dog, he then gave himself a ten-month deadline for finding a place to play. One week prior to that cutoff date, the group went to work as the house band for a club in Ironton, Ohio, where they remained for two years. When a 1984 fire destroyed the bar -- and Cyrus' equipment -- he moved to Los Angeles to pursue his career before switching his focus to music. From 1980 to 1990, Cyrus played at bars before getting a record deal with Mercury Nashville Records.

From 1986 until 1991, Cyrus was married to Cindy Smith, with whom he co-wrote the song "Wher'm I Gonna Live?" and "Some Gave All", which was featured on his 1992 album Some Gave All. On December 28, 1992, he married Leticia "Tish" Finley. Together they have three children, daughters Miley (born as Destiny Hope), Noah Lindsey, and son Braison Chance.[6] He also has two stepchildren, Trace (born 1989) (singer/guitarist for Metro Station) and Brandi (born 1987), and a son from a previous relationship, Christopher Cody (born 1992).

Eventually, he returned to Kentucky and commuted regularly to Nashville in search of a record deal. Grand Ole Opry star Del Reeves got Mercury Records to take a look, and division head Harold Shedd signed him in the summer of 1990. When his first album came out in mid-1992, Cyrus -- with his good looks, sculpted body and the infectious "Achy, Breaky Heart" -- became an instant groundbreaking sensation. Spending five weeks at the top of the country charts, "Achy, Breaky Heart" made his debut album, Some Gave All, a blockbuster success. By the time it fell off the charts, it had sold over nine million copies and spent 17 weeks on the top of the pop charts.Despite his attempts, Cyrus wasn't able to replicate the success of Some Gave All. He quickly followed the album with It Won't Be the Last in the summer of 1993. Initially, the album sold well, entering the pop charts at number three, but it fell far short of expectations by only reaching platinum status. Storm in the Heartland, delivered in the fall of 1994, managed to go gold, even though it was ignored by country radio. However, by the time it finished its chart run, Cyrus had slipped from the public's eye. When he returned with the harder-edged, introspective Trail of Tears in 1996, the album only spent four weeks on the charts and didn't even go gold. Shot Full of Love followed in 1998 and Southern Rain was issued two years later.In March 2001, Cyrus hit TV screens in the role of a country doctor moved to Manhattan in the sitcom Doc. He returned to music world with 2003's Time Flies and Other Side. In 2006, he released I Wanna Be Your Joe and also appeared on The Disney Channel's Hannah Montana, starring his real-life daughter Miley. By the end of 2006, Miley Cyrus had her own No. 1 album when the Hannah Montana soundtrack topped the Billboard 200.Riding on the wave of Hannah Montana's popularity, Cyrus released his 10th studio album, Home at Last, in 2007 on the Disney label. The album debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard country albums chart, both re-establishing Cyrus as a presence in country music and highlighting the popularity (not to mention influence) of his daughter's show. With Miley Cyrus adding her vocals to "Ready, Set, Don't Go," a song featured on Home at Last, it reached the Top 10 on Billboard's country singles chart in 2008. Love Songs, a collection drawn from his peak years with Mercury, was released early in 2008.

is a Grammy Award-nominated American country music singer, songwriter and actor from Flatwoods, Kentucky, best known for his Number One single "Achy Breaky Heart." Cyrus, a multi-platinum selling recording artist, has scored a total of eight top-ten singles on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. His most successful album to date is the debut of Some Gave All, which has been certified 9× Multi-Platinum in the United States. The album also has sold more than 20 million copies worldwide. In his career, he has released 29 charted singles, of which 15 charted in the Top 40.

AwardsThe following table lists all awards, nominations and wins from Billy Ray Cyrus.

Year Association Award Outcome1992 CMA Award Single of the Year - "Achy Breaky Heart" WonSong of the Year - "Achy Breaky Heart" Nominated1993 Grammy Award Record of the Year - "Achy Breaky Heart"American Music Awards Favorite New Artist WonFavorite Single - "Achy Breaky Heart"1997 TNN/Music City News Single of the Year - "It's All the Same to Me"1998 Album of the Year - Shot Full of LoveMale Artist of the YearSingle of the Year - "Busy Man"Video of the Year - "Busy Man"1999 International Entertainment Buyer Association Humanitarian of the Year2000 Country Radio BroadcastersKennedy Center Honors2002 Bob Hope Congressional Medal of Honor Society Entertainer of the Year2008 CMT Music Awards Tearjerker Video of the Year - "Ready, Set, Don't Go" NominatedBMI Songwriter's Award "Ready, Set, Don't Go" - Top 50 most played songs[11] Won

DiscographyFor a list of albums and singles, see Billy Ray Cyrus discography.Studio albums1992: Some Gave All1993: It Won't Be the Last1994: Storm in the Heartland1996: Trail of Tears1998: Shot Full of Love2000: Southern Rain2003: Time Flies2003: The Other Side2006: Wanna Be Your Joe2007: Home at Last2009: Back to TennesseeCompilation albums1997: The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus: Cover to Cover2003: 20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Billy Ray Cyrus2004: The Definitive Collection2008: Love Songs